The Future's Bright, The Future's Blue
by UnoriginalPrankster
Summary: Long after everything settled down, the holiday season gives Ragna a chance to catch up with the family. And to meet the new additions...Ragna x Celica. Jin x Tsubaki. Noel x Makoto.
1. No One Home

All characters belong to ASW

Same universe as "Bonding".

* * *

_December 22nd 2207, 2nd Hierarchical City Of Iwatsuchi, United States Of America_

Whilst the disappearance of Seithr from the world lead to the reclamation of huge tracts of land from lower altitudes, it also rendered the Ars Magus that were relied on everyday useless. That included the weather control systems, so while it did snow come Christmas time, it had been decades since a genuine blizzard. And that was what Iwatsuchi was experiencing right now. Visibility was woeful, and the sound of screeching brakes and needlessly revved engines filled the night sky. It was like the world had forgotten how to drive. Actually, for the most part, it had. The aerodromes were bedlam too, as Ragna had found out much to his chagrin. Landing was...brown trousery, disembarkation had gone with all the grace of a pig on an ice rink, and the bags had taken forever to get through reclamation. _This is why I hate flying cattle class...hell why I hate flying period._

* * *

**BGM: Comedy**

_One taxi ride later_

The apartment doorbell rang several times without result. After it had dawned that there was no one home, the person at the door just took out the keys and went inside.

"Ragna, do you really think we should be doing this? I feel like we're breaking in."

Ragna turned to Celica, "Look, he said " If we're not home, let yourselves in." Why else do you think he gave us the keys to the place?" He stopped to take off his dull brown trenchcoat, revealing the black sweater and jeans beneath

'The place' he was referring to was Jin and Tsubaki's home. Both Kisaragi and Yayoi snr were still going strong, so they hadn't inherited the mansions yet, but both made decent money, him as a Colonel with rumours beginning of Brigadiership, and her just recently promoted to Major in the NOL, to afford some upmarket digs in Iwatsuchi. Few apartments Ragna had ever come across could boast six bedrooms over two floors. Actually, calling it a penthouse would probably be more apropos. And that was fortunate, considering the numbers staying over the next few days. What was left of Yukianesa hung in a stand over the fireplace. Izayoi had been returned to the Yayoi manor, though why baffled Ragna considering it was useless now. The NOL had to retrain with old style weapons, so assault rifles and the like were coming back into fashion. Tsubaki wasn't very happy about that, as she felt it took a lot of the old chivalry out of combat. Jin on the other hand was quite apathetic to the change.

By contrast, Ragna made a slightly more modest wage as head chef at a fancy restaurant; Jubei had put in several good words in a few people's ears to hire him, and he'd worked his way up from there. Some would say his cooking was better than Jubei's own; Ragna would reluctantly concede the point for his best dishes. The hours were a bitch, but that couldn't be helped. Celica used to work at an orphanage, as a lot of kids had lost their parents during the fighting and all that crap about the Embryo. She had scaled back her commitments, now working as a full time mom. Their home was again smaller and less elaborate, but it was comfy. Ragna preferred it that way.

"I know, it just seems so weird" she replied. Celica herself wore a red sweater with black leggings.

"Mama? Papa? Whatcha talkin' about?"

Celica knealt down to look their daughter up close, "It's nothing, sweetie. Uncle Jin and Aunt Tsubaki aren't home, that's all. Nothing to worry about." Hitomi pursed her lips, as if trying to figure out a complex riddle, "Then where are Unca Jin and Ant Tsu? I wanna play with Sakura and Shinji." Celica laughed at Hitomi's bad pronunciation, "You'll have to wait then, just like for your Christmas presents. You really think they'd leave them here on their own?" She walked out to get the suitcases.

"Probably at the hospital," Ragna chipped in, "You know how unreliable due dates are." The last remark was aimed at Celica; it'd many years before 'Due date' would mean anything to Hitomi if Ragna had anything to say about it. This didn't seem to sit that well with Hitomi, who pouted before stomping off to watch TV in her day-glo pink wellies. She was 4 years old, with pale brown hair and pea green eyes. Ragna was already busying himself with work in the kitchen. Jin and Tsubaki might object at him cooking in their kitchen with their food, but the fact remained that Ragna was the best cook in their little group, and he planned on making enough for everyone when they eventually got here. Another factor was that it kept Noel out of the kitchen; Library guys in NBC suits had to be called in last time she tried something new. Yes, she had improved under Ragna's watch, but that was only for a given value of 'edible'.

With Hitomi occupied with yet another TV talent show, Celica followed Ragna into the kitchen, wrapped her arms around his midsection, and kissed him on the neck. As much as Ragna hated Kokonoe's guts nowadays, he had to admit that she'd pulled off a minor miracle in keeping Celica alive; she had to yet to tell them that she 'plagarised' a little of Relius' research in order to pull it off, specifically how he made Kazuma Kuvaru, and after that it was a similar method to how Terumi occupied it, creating Hazama. It didn't take a genius to work out why she neglected to tell them the specifics. Either way, they were happily married now with a lovely daughter. Having gotten rid of the Azure Grimoire (he had Jin to thank for that little favour) and with some much needed peace and stability back in his life, Ragna's hair and eyes had over the years changed back to what they were before. He had resorted to hair dye and contacts previously to try and rebuild his life, and saw it as a way of leaving the old 'him' behind. Ragna was kind of relieved; now no one recognised him as the world's most wanted man, he longer had to keep his ears pricked for shouts of "You dine and dash last time you here!" or even worse "Eek! A pervert!" And no one thought he was a city destroying abomination anymore; that one had always confused him as to how people had got it in their heads that he was capable of that. Last time he looked in the mirror, he hadn't turned into the Black Beast.

"Whatya cooking?"

"Meh, just some bacon and eggs. Should be plenty for everyone. I mean, what do you expect when the woman of the house is Canadian? And what about you, huh?" He turned from the stove to bend down and kiss Celica's belly. Once everyone had got here, they planned to announce that Celica was pregnant again. Celica didn't want to upstage Tsubaki's new arrival, but Ragna didn't see it as an issue. Besides, it was going to be the debut of Makoto's little boy too. Celica stroked Ragna's hair as he gave his child to be a little TLC.

This private little show of affection was interrupted by a ring at the door. Ragna opened the door. "Oh, hi Ragna. They're not home?"

"Evidently, Noel. Hence I'm the one answering the door."

"Hey! What was that for? I was just asking." She wore a white suit with a green blouse.

Ragna sighed, "I though it'd be kind of obvious, considering last time I checked I wasn't the family butler. I could ask Rachel if Valkenhayn's available for hire, if you like."

"You could've been doing it out of the goodness of your heart. Should've known better."

"Ahahahaha, got him that time Noellers." Makoto moved into the doorway, carrying a tiny little bundle in her arms. It looked human for the most part, sans the fluffy little squirrel ears and tail, both a shade lighter than Makoto's own. She wore a leather jacket, tight orange T-shirt, short blue skirt and brown knee length boots. She clearly still had some of her baby bump

"Awwwww!" Celica began fawning over the boy, "he's soooo cute." The baby babbled some jibberish in response.

Makoto laughed, "Well, you seem to know your baby talk, unlike some people..." She looked at Noel

Noel smiled innocently, reached behind Makoto and touched something round her back. Makoto gasped, and went ever so slightly cross-eyed. "Dammit Noel! I though we agreed not to do that in public!" she hissed. The gang all knew she had an erogenous zone at the base of her tail. What they didn't know for certain, but had guessed ages ago, was Noel loved messing with it for kicks.

"He he, just shows I know how to embarrass you too."

Noel now worked as a counselor for people traumatised by the events surrounding the Calamity Trigger and the immediate aftermath. Makoto had reluctantly rejoined the NOL, and had been pretty much gifted the rank of captain and given Hazama's old job in charge of Intelligence; given Hazama's...idiosyncratic way of doing things, she was just about the only one who knew how anything worked around there. That unfortunately meant regular meetings with C-in-C Kagura. While Homura was still the Imperator, Kagura was left with all the military dealings, leaving Homura to deal with the politics. Thankfully he was slightly less of a sex offender these days. Makoto was high enough up the chain of command that people might actually bother to listen if she filed a complaint, beastkin prejudice be damned. And two heroes of the revolution arguing was bad PR. Particularly with a baby on the way.

Celica was still playing with the baby, who giggled in delight.

"Hehehe he likes you already" Noel said. She turned to Makoto with a smile. Makoto returned her smile, before leaning in to kiss Noel. Noel quickly took it a step further and made it a full French kiss. Makoto had come out not long after the mess with Izanami had died down. No one was surprised in the slightest by this, considering her tendency to grope her female friends on a whim. What was a bit if a surprise was when, some time later, Noel announced the two were dating. Since Tsu and Jin had finally hooked up, it was more often just Noel and Makoto, so it made sense that their feelings for each other would change in time. One anonymous sperm donor later, and they had the beginnings of their own little family. Noel wasn't entirely sure if she could get pregnant, being a Murakumo, but she had made it clear to Makoto that she was willing to try. Makoto just told her to stop getting ahead of herself.

Ragna cleared his throat, clearly sensing the huge amounts of awkward at that moment and trying to break the silence, "Your room's over there, by the way."

"Oh, don't be like that, Big Brother." Ragna's face lit up at the voice, "Does the sight of Sis and Makoto make you uncomfortable? Or just jealous?"

"And I see your usual company has rubbed off on you a little more than I'd like", he said with a smirk. "Ah, com'ere Saya."

Saya had grown quite a bit since freeing her from Izanami. She looked in her mid teens as opposed to the little girl they had rescued. Her hair had gone back to blonde, though she kept a few purple streaks purely because she liked the look. Thankfully, she didn't seem to remember a lot of her life as a thrall. It'd probably be too much for her if she did. Ragna was just thankful that she was happy and, thanks to access to proper healthcare, relatively healthy now. Sadly, her taste in music left a lot to be desired, meaning Ragna had to tolerate her squeeing over whoever was the lastest craze, hence the boy band T-shirt and 'fashionably ripped' jeans. His attempts to get her to embrace Metal had flopped, much to Celica's eternal relief; the earache was bad enough as it was. At least she'd settled at school and was getting okay grades. Ragna was never going to push her too hard to be a great intellectual. As long as she didn't change inside, he was happy.

Ragna had finished greeting Saya when he noticed the other one skulking behind the door. _Sheesh, you'd think she'd be used to us all by now._ He sighed, "Come on in, Lambchop. You know I don't bite."

It always confused Ragna how Lambda was so different personality wise from her younger sisters. Noel's overly emotional, Saya's exuberant, and Nu was just batshit crazy. Lambda on the other hand wouldn't say "Boo!" to a goose. If she didn't say anything, which was often, you wouldn't even know she was in the room. In fact it was kind of funny; if you'd have asked Ragna even a few years ago if these Murakumos could even have a personality, he'd have laughed and punched you in the face. Now, he'd punch you for daring to suggest otherwise. To officialdom, she was know as Lisa Vermillion. These days, she wore green contacts to hide her red eyes. It just avoided uncomfortable questions, considering her lack of people skills. Jin and Tsubaki had already stonewalled several attempts to delve deeper into her files, mainly because she didn't have any files to delve into, and a few of the more persistent ones had received a 'gift' from the guys in Intelligence to kindly get then to drop it.

"H-h-hey Ragna" she stuttered, before shuffling into the room. She wore a grey blouse with a black skirt and tights.

Ragna's hug was gentle; it just didn't seem right to give her a bear hug like he would with Saya, which was odd considering Lambda was much more durable. "How've you been Lambda?"

She smiled, "Oh, okay I guess. We're just beginning the calibrations on the particle accelerator I told you about."

Ragna chuckled, "You know a lot of that stuff goes completely over my head", he performed an 'In one ear, out the other' motion, and Lambda laughed. She'd been signed up for theoretical physics work that the NOL had subcontracted out; as Ars Magus no longer worked, humanity had to make up for lost time with pure science. Sector Seven had helped, but it had put tech back a couple of hundred years. It was a year after Izanami that a routine sweep of former cauldrons had rediscovered the unfortunate Murakumo...

* * *

_January 24th 2201, NOL Branch Basement, 4th Hierarchical City Of Naobi, Canada_

Rubble clinked as the two soldiers tentatively made their way down the incline to the heart of the facility, where its cauldron used to be. The demo charges of the previous year had definitely done a number on this one.

"Are you absolutely certain?"

The tech fiddled with his instruments, "Yeah, there was definitely a disruption in this area. Residual readings consistent with The Boundary make it pretty likely." The small device in his hand began to beep.

"But what? We've not seen anything since around C day now?" C day was the term they used for New Years Day, 2200. The cauldrons had been inactive since Kushinada's Lynchpin was activated.

The tech was getting tetchy. "That's what we're here to find out. These things shouldn't be spontaneously reactivating, even in short bursts. Something's got Dr K spooked and we need to know what."

The guard sweeped the expanse with his rifle. "Any spikes?"

The tech was quiet for a moment, "...yes, just over there, it's a little stronger around there." He gestured to the substantial pile of rubble not far from the edge, close to the cauldron. The tech ran a scan over the pile, "Definitely something here. Gimme a hand and dig."

"Dig through that ourselves!? We'll be here all day!"

"And do you think trying to use heavy machinery is a good idea? I don't. So stop moaning and start digging. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can get the hell out of here." Conceding the point, they both began digging.

It was after a couple of hours that the tech caught a glimpse of black fabric. He dug a little more. A leg. More digging revealed more torn, bloodsoaked fabric, and eventually the palid, tortured face of a girl. Couldn't be out of her teens. He put his ear to her mouth. She was breathing. Barely

"Call for medivac stat! We've got a live one here!" He managed to remove more of the debris so he could do a proper evaluation, and even with his limited understanding of medicine, it wasn't good, "Get the medic in here, we're losing her!"

* * *

It had taken months of repairs and some now cutting edge surgery before she could lead her own life again. Even so, most of her combat gear had to be removed to save her life, and even then Titanium bones presented their own problems. After she was _finally _released from hospital, Lambda had been fast-tracked into a physics degree; her number crunching made it a obvious choice, and she had passed with flying colours. Ragna couldn't help but smile at the picture of her in her graduation garb on his wall. It had finally convinced him that he _could_ have a positive impact on people's lives, and forgive himself for the past. It was probably the biggest smile she'd ever given. They were all there for the big day, with the picture of all of them having pride of place on Lambda's bedside cabinet; she was sentimental like that. Noel, Makoto, Saya and Lambda all lived under the same roof, though that was likely to change with the baby.

_How people change, huh? Who'd have think any of us would be were we are now back then?_

"Ragna, what's wrong?" Lambda has caught onto him spacing out.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking back."

Back then, Ragna had hated the way his life had turned out. As far as he was concerned, he had no future worth having, so he didn't care if it ended the instant Terumi bit the dust. Hell, on some level that outcome really appealed to him. Of course, he found out there was a lot more to it than that, which made him reevaluate his priorities. Now, he could say he was happy with the way things were. He had a family again, a decent job...things to look forward too..

_Like a Family Christmas._


	2. Bundles of joy

**BGM: Flos**

It was half an hour or so before the Clovers arrived. Having been given the reigns to his dad's old department, Carl had the resources he previously lacked to give Ada and Ignis a semblance if their old selves back. Kokonoe had also, for some reason, chipped in with some declassified stuff from Tager and what she knew about the Murakumos. It was far from what he'd long dreamed of, but Ada was content enough with her lot. What made it a little more 'karmic' was his new marionette; Deus Machina: Nirvana and Fluctus Redactum: Ignis had both been decommissioned and canabalised to make a new weapon; Diabolus Ex Machina: Relius. Now father was going to experience the same thing he'd put his family through. With no more Seithr to power it, Carl had come up with alternatives, eventually settling on H-fuel cells. More so, Carl was much more blasse while fighting with this model. Whereas with Ada, he'd intercept a few blows himself to keep her safe, he was quite happy to see this one get completely totalled; it gave him the opportunity to rub Relius' failure in his face while putting him back together. He could fit it with more numerous and up to date gadgets, but he refrained, just to make Relius feel obsolete. He had much better stuff in reserve, if he ever found himself in a tight spot. The gang were examining some of Tsubaki's paintings when they arrived.

"Good evening miss Makoto, miss Noel, miss Celica...Mr Ragna."

"Oh hey Carl!" Makoto greeted Carl with a single arm hug. She was always pleased to see Carl; truth be told he crushed on her a lot when they were younger, but of course, with her preferring women it never happened, despite the fact she said she would date guys if she were still single. He was Jin's height now, and even slighter of frame. Considering he didn't do a lot of his fighting himself, he didn't need the musculature to wield a weapon himself. The ever present purple cloak and top hat were present and correct, of course, though he wore full suits these days rather than the knee length shorts of old. His hair was much more untidy too.

"I'd heard you'd become a mother recently. Congratulations." He gave the little boy a tickle under the chin, only for the baby to whimper and start crying. Makoto gently rocked him to calm him down, "Shhhh, it's OK" She gave her boy a little kiss on the forehead, which seemed to do the trick. A slightest whine of servo motors heralded the arrival of Ada. Enough genetic information existed of Ada to clone a large proportion of her body back, but even with the best minds, she still required pretty extensive prosthetics. Ada for her part was just glad to be free of Nirvana. "Good day, everyone"

"Hey Adey," Makoto had hit it off pretty quick with Ada. Had circumstances been a little different, she could have ended up the same as Ada; Rachel had informed her of this happening in a number of the interactions of the Continuum Shift. It made her feel sick that her soul would end up powering another Ars Magus, and her body just used as Relius' stress relief. It made her feel worryingly good when she learned just what Carl had done to Relius.

"So, watchya been doing with yourself?" Makoto enquired.

"Oh, I've managed to find some reception work." Ada smiled, "You'd be surprised at just how many people will hire...well...someone like me. It pays the bills, anyway."

"How's Carl taking it."

"Carl...is being overprotective of me again, it seems to me. Old habits die hard, I suppose. He's happy I guess, but I don't think he's ready to let go."

"Your mom?"

"She...could be better"

"Ah...sorry." Makoto knew Ignis was having trouble readjusting.

Noel walked in from answering the phone, smiling. "They're on their way home now."

"Ooh, I can't wait! Tsubaki's babies are always soooooo cute." Makoto was acting her shoe size again.

"Yeah, wonder if it's more like Tsubaki or Jin." Ragna added, "Hopefully the former. I've seen enough of Jin's ugly mug to last a lifetime."

"Niiii-saaaaaan!" Ragna nearly jumped out of his skin, causing everyone else to burst out laughing; Saya always did an unnaturally good Jin impression. Ragna was now officially weirded out.

* * *

It was an hour later when the keys turned in the lock, allowing a very excited Shinji and Sakura Kisaragi into the house. Shinji had pale red hair and vibrant green eyes, while Sakura had very pale blonde hair with deep blue eyes. He was 5, she 3. Hitomi was on her feet in seconds and quickly squealing on seeing her cousins. Jin was next in, removing his trenchcoat. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "Ladies and gentlemen...and brother," Ragna flipped him off as everyone else laughed, sans Celica who elbowed him in the ribs and glared, _Not in front of the kids! _she mouthed, "allow me the pleasure of introducing the latest addition to the Kisaragi household." Tsubaki walked in at this point to cheers, dressed in a black sweater and some loose blue sweat pants; she'd ditched the hairpieces of old, her hair now held in place with a single clip by her left temple. In her arms, a little girl yawned. She immediately walked over to Makoto.

"So this is your baby?" Tsubaki stroked behind his ear, "Hello. I'm Tsubaki." She cooed, "What's your name?"

Makoto lifted the baby in front of her face, "Mamoru." She said in a high pitched voice.

Tsubaki laughed, "And this is Rin. Say hello." The two babies just stared at each other, before deciding they'd rather spend their time looking at paint drying on the recently redecorated walls. Both mothers laughed.

"You know Tsu, it's kind of hard to describe what it's like to be a mom."

"Makoto, I have three. Preaching to the choir." She leaned down and gave Rin a kiss on the forehead. "But yeah, when I had Shinji it was a new experience." She was beginning to tear up, "I just feel so lucky."

"Yeah..." Makoto gazed a little longer at Rin's features, "Hmmm, she has your eyes."

Tsubaki was silent, and looked liked she'd zoned out for a moment.

"...how bad?" Makoto cottoned on to the reason for her silence.

"Doctors guess I'll be completely blind before I hit 40 at this rate. It's not too bad at the moment; just a bit blurry and my depth perception has seen better days. But they say the degradation will accelerate."

"Any treatments?"

"Potentially, yes. But it's all in the trial phase at the moment. I've been signed up for a couple. Hopefully something good will come of it."

"Yeah." Makoto mentally scrambled to change the subject, "So, how's Shinji settling in school?"

Tsubaki groaned, "Just like his dad; thinks everyone should get down on their knees and worship him. Even the teachers."

"Thanks Tsu." Jin was indignant at his character flaws being poked by his own wife.

"What? It's true. How many times have I had to apologise to complete strangers for you making a massive fuss out of nothing?" She huffed. Jin looked away. Tsubaki rolled her eyes. "Pfft, men" she muttered. Makoto chuckled. "Wouldn't know. I don't live with any."

"Then consider yourself fortunate."

"Glad you think so highly of your husband and brother-in-law, Chewie." Oh dear, Ragna was breaking out his stupid nickname again. He only ever used it when we trying to get a rise out of her.

Celica smiled, "Given all the baby and children talk at the moment, I've got an announcement to make. I'm expecting."

"Oh, that's lovely!" While Tsubaki and Celica weren't the closest friends, they still got on well; Makoto had noted that making friends was something Celica was unnaturally good at. And now the three mothers discussed the finer points of 'poopy diapers', baby vomit and other related horror stories. Saya and Noel had commandeered the TV and were watching 'Iwatsuchi Idol'. The babies were put down on the rug to allow the kids to play with them, Hitomi fawning over Rin, with Sakura doing likewise for Mamoru. Shinji just stayed back and watched.

Ragna scanned the room and saw Lambda talking to Carl. Probably about that physics stuff that Ragna didn't understand. As head of engineering, Carl could grasp most of what she was saying. While Lambda was very much particle physics and Carl's specialist field was mechanical engineering, they could follow each other's stories. He considered the possibility that they were growing sweet on each other; Ragna could tell Lambda was blushing a little, and Carl was breaking out the suave and the charm._ Can't say I've ever liked or completely trusted Carl, but I haven't seen him weird out in years, ever since...since Ada was removed from Nirvana. _He'd heard the story third hand. _Well, as long as Lambchop's happy, I'm happy._

What sort of confused Ragna was, despite being near-as-makes-no-difference clones, Noel was in love with Makoto, Nu had been Himsexual, and Saya and Lambda both appeared to be straight. Weird at how ostensibly the same person could show such a wide variety of sexual preferences. _Guess it's Nature vs Nurture, and in this case nurture wins._

"Okay, brother and Celica to this room, Makoto, the baby and...Noel in here. Saya and Lambda here, Hitomi can room with Sakura and Shinji."

"Yay! Like a sleepover."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, you three."

"Oh, knock it off Jin. They're just excited. Come along, you three. I think it's time you got to bed. I'll come and read you a bedtime story." Tsubaki led them out.

"I thought Litchi was gonna be here." Ragna said.

"Well, you know she's not been well recently. Maybe just not up to it." Noel chipped in.

"Yeah, hope she's okay." Litchi had caught a really bad case of glandular fever. Despite being cured of most of her affliction with Arakune's final act before Bang finished him off, with the man's own blessing, and some further treatment from Kokonoe, she'd been suffering from recurring illness for years. Noel had seen her not too long ago and had said she'd lost a lot of weight. Bang and Bullet had been by regularly to make sure she was well looked after, but she was still recovering.

_Pity. Even now, she can't catch a break. I'll admit I thought she was obsessed back then, but surely she's suffered enough..._

* * *

The children's bedtime stories often revolved around Tsubaki &amp; co's myriad misadventures over the years. Sure, she embellished a few things to remove the nasty bits and to make the boring bits more exciting. And there would be some more sinister stories that would never see the light of day for many years. Even now, Tsubaki still had recurring nightmares about her time under the effects of Mind Eater. She had talked to Noel about it, who had shared her own nightmares from her time as Kusanagi, and what Terumi had done to her. Each of the survivors of the Embryo battle had their own scars to bear. Some dealt with it better than others; Bang and Tao for instance barely let it slow them down

Tonight, they"d be getting a reenactment of one of the happiest days of her life...

**BGM: DKC2 OST - In A Snow-bound Land**

_Evening, December 15th 2200, outside Naobi_

Tsubaki was being lead by the hand to God knows where; Jin had said he had a surprise for her and insisted on blindfolds. They had been an item for nearly a year now. What could be so secretive, or special, that he'd go to so much trouble? One thing she had figured out; whatever it was, it was absolutely freezing! She had been told that much, insofar that she should wrap up warm. What was also readily apparent was the near total absence of grip; she had nearly gone flying at least three times already.

"Okay, open your eyes."

Tsubaki did as instructed, and was instantly completely captivated by what she saw; a cave of ice, gently glistening in every shade of blue. One could almost imagine the tinkling, plinking noise as the light danced off it.

"Like it?"

"Oh my God..." Tsubaki put her hand to get mouth, "Jin, how did you find this? When did you find this?"

"Two days ago. I was just exploring and happened upon it. I take it you approve?"

"Yes, yes. It's incredible." It was like something out of a fairy tale. She was unconsciously spinning around as she walked, trying to take it all in. And inevitably, she lost grip and nearly landed flat on her backside; luckily Jin was there to catch her.

"Here, give me your feet."

"Huh?" Tsubaki did as instructed, and Jin zapped her soles with ice, forming a pair of ice skates. He had already done so to his own feet.

"I know neither of us has much seithr left, and I though this would be a fun thing to do while we still have the chance."

"Jin, you know I don't skate." She laughed.

"Well, now's a perfect time to learn." He took her hand, and showed her some basics, like how to gain some momentum to move without falling over. She was still a bit wobbly even after half an hour, but regardless it was proving to be a lot of fun. By the hour mark, she felt she had the hang of it.

"Okay then, miss Yayoi. Put your money where your mouth is, and dance with me."

"You're on!"

What followed was another 15 minutes of shouting, screaming, name calling, deliberate sabotage and generally the most fun Tsubaki had had in a long time.

Tsubaki was breathless by the end, doubled over, hands on her knees, "Thank...you...Jin." She laughed again, and turned to face him, "I really enjoyed...Ohmigod." Jin was kneeling before her, head bowed, hands holding a small box,...with a sapphire encrusted gold ring in it.

"Tsubaki Yayoi, will you marry me?"

Tsubaki leapt at him to hug him, "YES! YES! YES! A thousand times, yes!" She'd gotten completely carried away, lost in the moment. Tsubaki was always so cool, so in control. Now, any semblance of control was thrown out the window with the TV, clamping onto Jin's lips like a limpet. In all the time he'd known her, he'd never seen her so...passionate.

Once she's finally calmed down, Jin was able to slip the ring onto her finger. It really matched her eyes. Jin now found himself captivated by a beautiful sight; his wife to be.

Even though they weren't sharing a bed yet, both had the best night's sleep they had in ages.

* * *

"And that was the day your daddy asked me to marry him." Sakura was already asleep, Hitomi was on the verge of nodding off, and Shinji was yawning. "Well, that's another story finished. Good night Shinji."

"Night mommy." She leaned down to kiss him, snuggled up in his bed, before giving kisses to the two slumbering girls.

Having closed the door and returned to the main group, she found herself just about ready for bed too; it had been exhausting today. Jin and Makoto had already out the babies to bed, "Well, I think it's time we called it a night. See you all tomorrow morning."

As she lay in bed, her thoughts turned back to the cauldron, and watching Hakumen pass on. The memory of her alternate timeline self arriving to guide his soul on its way.

_"Let's go home"_

_"Yes...home"_

"A penny for your thoughts, Tsubaki."

"Oh, just thinking about...absent friends." Jin decided not pursue it any further; he knew by now who she meant.

While back then, she was devastated, Hakumen having revealed who he was, the truth behind the woman he loved and finishing his 'Old Man's Tale' with his last moments, now she could envisage herself and Jin carrying out the unfulfilled love of Hakumen and his Tsubaki.

_A love that transcended the boundaries of time._


	3. A Day In The Life Of Tsubaki

**BGM: Flos**

December 23rd

The skies were grey when Noel rose. 8 o'clock in December was never a time for bright skies, but today looked to be an especially boring shade. Makoto was still slumbering away, with Mamoru in a spare cot a couple of feet away. Noel was quite happy to let her be; she needed the rest. The boy wasn't yet a month old, and was proving to be quite cantankerous. Thank God one of the perks of Jin and Tsubaki being nobles and NOL poster people was decent soundproofing for your walls, else the entire house'd be giving them dirty looks this morning.

She closed the door as quietly as she could and headed off towards the kitchen. Normally she was flat banned from cooking anything for fear of accidentally creating an entirely new life form again, but as she thought no one else would be up given all the travelling, or in Tsu's case, the small matter of having just given birth, she figured no one would stop her from doing some breakfast for herself.

As it happened, there was someone else up and about. Tsubaki was seated on the couch in a green dressing gown, left breast out giving Rin her morning feed, "Oh, good morning Noel." She yawned. Her eyelids were noticibly drooping. She definitely looked like she could do with another two hours in bed.

"Oh, hey." Noel had seen Tsubaki naked countless times, and the reverse was true as well, so Noel had for the most part got over seeing her gorgeous best friend's assets. She still felt a little jealous of Tsubaki's figure, and while she was very happy with Makoto, she still harboured a teeny girly crush on Tsubaki. Privately, she wondered if, in another timeline, she had ever got together with Tsubaki instead of Makoto, or of she'd found herself a man that wasn't her brother, Carl perhaps.

The three of them _had_ spent the night together once, of all times on Tsubaki's Hen Night; the three of them, Litchi, Celica, Bullet, hell even _Rachel_ had all got together for one last knees-up. Thankfully, Lambda had sufficiently recovered to join them too, staying sober for the night and designated the one to stop them getting lost, which Celica still nearly managed regardless. At the time Lambchop was still staying with Ragna, Saya and Celica, so once it had all wound down, the three stooges had ended up back at Noel's and Makoto's place, more drink flowed, the _heavy petting_ started between Noel and Makoto, and eventually lead to the two agreeing to try to get Tsubaki to join them.

While she was hesitant at first, she was definitely interested, and finally a seriously inebriated Tsubaki thought "it's the last time I'll ever have the opportunity to do something wild; to hell with it" and joined in. The thing was, she didn't remember any of that part. Neither did Noel or Makoto for that matter; they did have _a lot_ to drink that night. And no one dared ask why they all woke up the following morning in a tangled mass of bodies and more to the point completely naked.

_Whatever happened, it was Makoto's fault. _Because it usually was. But to her credit, Tsubaki's eyes had never wandered since. Jin was her man. She had waited a long time for him. And she wasn't letting go for anything.

"Sleep well?" Noel poured herself a cup of tea.

"Like a log. Jin's told me the baby cried three times last night. I honestly didn't hear a thing. But somehow I still feel tired. I mean, I've only just got up."

Noel took a seat next to Tsubaki, "He's still in bed?" Tsubaki nodded, "Well between the baby crying," Noel smirked, "and you snoring, I can sympathise."

"For the thousandth time I do not snore!"

"I have plenty of irrefutable evidence to the contrary, your honour."

Tsubaki pouted comically and grumbled, "Stop picking on me."

"Oh Tsubaki," Noel laughed and shook her head, "Anyhow, back on topic, count yourself lucky. Mamoru had a terrible night, Makoto's still giving it z's too, she's been up and about so much. You must have really needed it."

Tsubaki sighed, "Believe me, I can sympathise. Shinji was a little swine for the first few months. I suppose it's the whole 'new parent' thing."

Noel put her arm around Tsubaki, and began playing with her niece's hair with her free hand. "Still, it's nice you got let out of hospital the same day."

Tsu nodded, "I was worried that we'd miss Christmas," Tsu laughed, "and not forgetting your birthday, but it turned out alright in the end," she jiggled her baby, "didn't it? Hmmm? Yes it did! Yes it did!" It will forever be a mystery why normally sensible people feel the need to speak in high pitch voices, often spouting complete gibberish, when talking to babies.

"You know, a thought's just occurred to me." In Tsubaki's experience, Noel thinking tended to end in catastrophe, with Tsubaki usually feeling the brunt of it. "_Your_ birthday was about 9 months ago, wasn't it? That wasn't when..." Tsu went bright red, "Oh. My. God! It was!" Noel covered her mouth, trying to hold the laughter in. "You two did it on your birthday! Did he get you something sexy? Something frilly?...something naughty?"

"Ah, excuse me!? Don't you think that's private? And since when did you take such a close interest in our sex life? I thought Makoto was the perverted Peeping Tom out of you two."

"But I'm right aren't I?" Noel already knew what the answer was going to be.

"...yes." Tsubaki said, with much shame in her voice.

"See? Was that so painful?"

Even after all this time, Tsu was still quite the prude, "Why do I get the feeling this will end up in a gossip column somewhere?"

"Because I was recording the entire conversation?"

"Because electronics tend to blow up whenever you touch them?"

"Pfft, spoilsport."

"Hiya Ant Soo! Ant Noelle!" Hitomi bounded in and plonked herself on Tsubaki's other flank. Tsu was just grateful for the interruption. "Hiya Rin!" Rin had just finished her feed, Tsubaki hoisting her up to her shoulder and gently rubbing and patting her back, till a little burp came out. The three burst out laughing.

"Oh, goodness! That's not very ladylike, is it?" Tsubaki chuckled as she re-covered herself. She sighed, handing the tot over to Noel so she could have a play with her. "Come on Hitomi, let's get you some breakfast."

It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that Hitomi had been a big factor in finally healing the rift between Tsubaki and Ragna. Even after their heart to heart and agreement at Nine's and Hakumen's joint funeral, the two still semi frequently butted heads, with poor Makoto and Noel often having to act as peacemakers. Ragna had mellowed a lot since Hitomi was born, albeit he'd already began the process while he was helping nurse Lambda back to health. Hitomi, for some reason, really took a shine to Tsubaki, and as Sakura was not really interested in being a domestic goddess at this moment in time, Tsu had taken Hitomi under her wing. The two baking together was a fairly common occurrence at family meetings, complete with the two surreptitiously helping themselves to all the chocolate when they thought no one was looking, giggling all the while. Just because no one was looking, it didn't mean that no one noticed. _Everyone_ noticed.

Even so, Noel could tell Tsubaki was forcing the cheer, and that all she wanted was to go back to sleep.

Tsu had furnished Hitomi with some cereal and a glass of milk, before letting her have her way with the TV. Tsu retreated back to Noel, rested her head on Noel's shoulder, and promptly nodded off. Noel jiggled her shoulder to wake her up.

"Listen, go back to bed Tsubaki." Tsu was about to protest, "Don't worry. I can handle Rin for a while."

Tsu weighed up her options, before sighing and getting up, "Oh alright. Just wake me if she's proving to be a handful. I'm so sorry about this Noel."

"Oh, don't be. It was my idea. Besides, I get to play with my adorable little niece. It's no trouble."

Tsu wasn't convinced, "I just feel kind of bad for lumping my kids on someone else already." But Noel was right; she was _exhausted_. She shuffled her way back into the bedroom and got back under the sheets.

She didn't even have time to snuggle up to Jin before the lights went out.

* * *

**BGM: Lakeside**

10:30am

Tsu had woke up at 10, to find Makoto had also rose in the interim. Makoto and Tsu had decided spare of the moment to take the two babies out for a stroll in the park. Being a traditional sort of woman, Tsu had broken her old fashioned pram out of mothballs. It had been in her family for decades; she'd used it, her dad had, her grandfather had bought it, had it _commissioned _more like from the coachbuilders. It was kind of a joke doing the rounds among the genereal populace that the really rich didn't buy things, they _inherited_ them. And now, little Rin was going to join the long line of Yayois who had spent their infancy in this venerable old treasure.

Of course, she wouldn't be alone; Mamoru was snuggled up next to her.

At this moment, Makoto was pushing the pram, letting Tsubaki have a break. After the snowstorm last night the weather was surprisingly clement; after it looked to be really overcast today, the skies had brightened a lot. Sure, it was cold, but it wasn't windy or raining/snowing. The park's main walkways had been cleared of excess snow, so losing grip wasn't an issue.

"So, think it'll be a White Christmas?" Makoto asked.

Tsu chuckled, "Part of me is hoping not. Jin's a bad enough driver as it is without having to worry about skidding the car."

Spotting an empty bench, the two decided to stop for a breather, and let the tots out of the pram.

"Ah, there we go Mamoru. Isn't that better?" She cooed to her son. He wore an orange animal themed onesie, the better to keep his little squirrel ears warm. She brought him up to her head and started blowing raspberries into his tummy. He flailed his legs ineffectually trying to get mommy to stop it; it tickled, "You're a lump, aren't you? Yes you are! A lovely little lump!" Tsubaki was lifting Rin in the air an lowering her, complete with 'whee' sounds. Rin just looked scared out of her wits.

"So plans for anymore?" Makoto asked.

"Don't you think it's a bit soon to be deciding that?" Raising the first two was proving a challenge, and now with Rin around, it was going to get even more hectic. "I'll have to wait and see. Money and space is not an issue. It's just...I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and end up with any of them feeling neglected."

"Huh? How so?"

"I mean, this morning I ended handing Rin over to Noel for a couple of hours while I got some sleep. I'm already handing my kids out to friends and family instead of doing it all myself. If I'm reduced to that, maybe three is all I can manage. I felt so alone during my childhood. I couldn't do that to my own kids. I just couldn't."

"I didn't realise it was bothering you so much..."

"Makoto, my mother died when I was still pretty young. My father was always too tied up trying to run the NOL, so I barely saw him either. I was raised by a succession of nannies, servants, hangers-on, no one that, when a scared little girl says " I want my mommy", would scoop her up in her arms, give her cuddles and tell her she loved her, or at least, not like they meant it. I don't know how to be that mommy. I'm doing the best I can, but I sometimes think I'm doing a terrible job. I mean, I know it was her suggestion, but I handed my baby to Noel."

"Yeah, so? She's worried about you. _I'm_ worried about you. She willingly did you a favour. I don't see any problem with that."

"Makoto, Rin's barely a day old!" She was quite agitated, "Shinji's a little sod most of the time, always pushing his look-"

"Like any kid his age. He'll grow out of it." Makoto responded. "I realise that I'm likely to have the same reaction when Mamoru gets to that age, and no doubt you'll be saying this back to me me, while saying 'I told you so'. I know you've always had a complex about what overs think of you."

Tsubaki bristled at the implication she had a 'complex', "Oh, I'm sorry if you think I'm so uptight Makoto. Maybe it's because I don't want to do or say something I'm going to spend the rest of my days regretting!" She exhaled, trying to clamp down on her rising annoyance. Makoto was kind of used to Tsubaki venting her frustrations by now and knew not to take offence at it.

"To be honest Makoto, I've been thinking about this for a while...I know I've not long been promoted, but I'm seriously considering resigning from the NOL."

"You WHAT!?" Makoto's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"It's come to a point in my life where I have to make a choice between Career vs Family. My father chose career, and while I understand the enormity of the task he had to do, to be honest on several levels I've always resented him for it. I always felt like he didn't love me. Didn't care. I won't make the same mistake with my children." She jiggled Rin a little for reassurance; the poor little more had picked up on Tsubaki's distress and was getting a little cranky.

Makoto's ears flattened. _Does she know?_

"Look, I know your dignity is important to you Tsu. I know it comes from nobility being the acme of good manners and all that jazz, but look at it this way. You're old guard; you stopped being newsworthy years ago. By and large, no one cares if you screw up every now and then. Even if you did, I have guys in the press to make sure it only gets a few column inches somewhere in the middle pages. It still gets reported, just no one notices. And for what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job."

"Really?"

Makoto suddenly looked serious, almost offended, "Tsu, why would I lie to you?"

"Because you're my best friend and you don't want to upset me?"

"Hmm, point taken." Makoto conceded. She smiled, "I think you're making the right decision."

"Hmm?" Tsu cocked an eyebrow.

"Truth be told, I always thought the NOL was a poor fit for you. You're too morally upstanding to do half the dirty work that the NOL want out of it's people. Just look at that mess with Hazama; when push came to shove you couldn't or wouldn't do it. You may say 'it was Noel and Jin I was hunting', but put someone else in their shoes and I don't think you could bring yourself to do it either. After all, you've never actually killed anyone in the line of duty, have you?" Tsu looked shocked, "I've seen your file; one of the perks of being in charge of Intelligence."

"Neither have you, or issued orders for it for that matter. One of the perks of being in charge of Zero, which crosses over with Internal Affairs."

"Honestly Tsu, I still don't know why you chose Zero Squadron in the first place. Of all the ways to uphold justice, you choose the Black Ops unit, the dirtiest part of the world we work in. I know they've got better since you took charge, but still, they don't exactly fill me with confidence even now." Everyone called her out on that decision. She herself had spent many a day and night wondering whether it was right, "I guess you're just not very good at following bad orders, which I'm relieved at by the way." Tsu chuckled at that, "I think you'd be better off on your own as a vigilante, like Carl did once upon a time. You could work when you want, on which jobs you want, no ambiguity about it."

That caught Tsu by surprise; she hadn't even considered that as a prospect for her future. But it made a certain kind of sense. She already had the skills and experience of fighting. And Makoto was right about the moral standpoint; she could just take the assignments that she truly believed in, no more risk of being made to hunt down and kill her friends. The money was about the same as she was on now if you played your cards right and were either prolific or caught the big ones. And she could dedicate a lot more of her time to her kids. The idea was worth some further thought.

"Maybe." She was already starting to feel more at ease with the idea...

...until Rin chose that moment to take a dump, leaving Tsubaki grumbling to herself as she made her way to the baby changing facilities. Great way to kill the mood...

* * *

_3:30pm_

It was proving to be quite a slow day. Carl and his family were staying in a hotel, so had decided to spend today sightseeing and shopping. Lambda had a couple of places she needed to be, so she had gone out just after lunch. Bang and co. weren't due to touch down till tomorrow.

Makoto was perusing the house's film collection when she came across something she had long forgotten about. Her eyes lit up evilly, "Hey, check out what I just found." It was an old disc with 'MMD' scrawled on it. Noel walked up and examined the disc. "Oh god! I remember this. How much did we laugh that day?" Jin gave an amused glanced at the two. Makoto handed him the disc and he slotted it into the player.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Oh, we were bored one day and some random guy asked us if he could film us for some music videos he was making." Noel explained.

The title card read 'Computer City'.

What they saw was Noel, Tsubaki and Makoto stood in a triangle, occasionally swapping places, dancing around in a choreographed routine to cheesy pop music. The kids were soon sat in front of the TV, completely engrossed at what their mothers once did for fun. Everyone else had fell about laughing. Wondering what all the noise was about, Tsubaki came in from the kitchen, where she had been prepping some bottles for the babies, and nearly dropped them in horror, "Gah! Where did you find this?"

"Tsu, this is hilarious! Who's think you three could look so cute with nothing more than dancesteps?" Ragna shouted.

Tsubaki, having found a seat, was doubled over, her head in her hands, "Someone please shoot me..."

"Awww, come on Tsubaki. What's not to like?" Noel put her arm around Tsubaki's shoulder.

"Not to like? I look like an idiot!"

"It's called 'having fun', Tsubaki. Please leave your dignity at the door." Makoto got up along with Noel and started imitating their old dance moves. Saya decided to fill in for a thoroughly mortified Tsubaki. Before long the kids were bopping to the beat too.

"I have to ask why you did this. it seems a little out of character for you, if you don't mind me saying so." Celica asked.

"Because I can be very persuasive?" Makoto spoke up.

"Because you can be very persistent?" Noel added.

"Because I was young and foolish." Tsu whimpered.

"Be young, be foolish, be happy." Ragna quipped.

Soon the song finished, and the title card appeated again, this time reading 'Baby'. The scene switched to another with just Tsubaki dancing around what looked like a convenience store. Everyone laughed even harder. Except Tsubaki, who had her fingers in her ears and her eyes shut tight.

"Nonononononononono...please tell me this isn't happening." Tsubaki couldn't take much more of this. It was one of those moments where you wish the ground would just open up beneath and swallow you.

"Well, I for one am enjoying it" Jin said to her, a lobsided smirk on his face; he couldn't understand why Tsu was being so embarrassed, after all it wasn't like she couldn't dance. Tsubaki tried her best to just block out the next few minutes.

The next one was Rachel leading the three plus Ragna through a routine. Ragna himself was doubled over at seeing himself look like such a fool, "Oh God. How in hell did you guys convince me this was a good idea?"

"I think it involved a mild concussion." Noel answered.

"See Tsu, it ain't so bad." Makoto beamed.

"I hate you all..." Tsu mumbled under her breath.

"Yeah yeah."

The next card read 'Weekender Girl'. Noel was stood on the roof of a building complex, doing a dance that involved a lot of bouncing and kicking. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but a) this was Noel, airhead extraodinare and b) she was wearing an old NOL dress in a vid with a lot of close up camera shots. The potential mishaps were myriad.

"Noel, I think it'd probably be wise that you wear a less flappy dress next time you do something like that. It like just screams potential Wardrobe Malfunction." Saya added, voicing what everyone else was thinking at that moment. Noel glared.

"Is it just me Noel or does your voice sound weird?" Ragna tried to change the subject.

"That's not me singing Ragna. None of us have been singing." Noel started laughing.

"Huh, you don't say?"

"Nope, that one was by some up and coming artist named oh what was her name?...Miki...Mika...Miko..."

"(Sigh) It's Miku." Makoto corrected her

"Just be thankful Lambda wasn't there for that." Jin groaned.

"Why?" Noel asked

"Because she most definitely CAN'T dance."

"Except, ironically, The Robot." Makoto muttered

Next on was called 'Hello Planet'. This video had Tsu in her Izayoi garb, waving her palms around in front of her, twirling her sword, and pretend marching, all with a big goofy smile in her face. Sakura was stood up mimicking her, to much tittering from her aunts and uncle.

"Look Tsubaki, Sakura's enjoying it. Wanna know why? She's seeing her mama look so happy. Mama's happy, so Sakura's happy." Makoto was nodded her head in time with the beat. "Would it really hurt you so much to be a little bit silly just this once to make your children laugh?"

"I... I guess not." Tsubaki sighed, gathered herself, got up and joined her daughter in silly dancing, to a chorus of cheers from the rest of them.

"Mama! Dance wiv me mama!"

Tsubaki gingerly stooped down and took her daughter's hands. She let Sakura lead, which just amounted to lots of arms flailing in random directions. It was the sort of stuff that would get brought up at family meetings many years later that would cause immense embarrassment on one side and "Kawaii" reactions on the other.

Once it was all over, the two dissolved in a fit of giggles. Tsu picked her up and gave her a few spins in the air before she gave her daughter a big kiss. Sakura gave an even bigger one back.

"What I wanna know is how you didn't decapitate yourself? I'm pretty sure I saw the blade go through your neck several times." Celica always did have a rather tenuous grip on the here and now.

Tsu facepalmed, "It was a prop Celica! The blade was added post production. Besides, you should know that Izayoi was deactivated by then." She shook her head in exasperation. "Of all the things you could have picked up on, you chose that!" She let out a laugh, "You have a weird sense of priorities sometimes, you know."

"Still, it's not exactly the pinnacle of production values." Jin smirked

"Oh come on, it's not like they were blessed with loads with cash. Besides, little bits like that add to the charm." Makoto responded.

"Oh hey, it looks like it's finished." Saya pointed out.

"Aw." Noel was enjoying it

"Phew." Tsu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, now that little side show is over, maybe now we can put an actual movie on at long last?" Jin moaned.

* * *

9:30pm

Everyone was still a little jet lagged, so they were having an early night again. It had been three mornings ago since she'd had a chance to have a decent wash rather than just a quick run down, so Tsu took the time she had to herself to enjoy a long overdue _proper_ bath.

Tsu finished tying back her hair and emersed herself in the heavily added hot water. Damn did she need a good hot bath. Her lower body was still pretty tender from the birth, and the dancing hadn't helped any. She hoped the hot water might help with the aches and pains. She gently lapped a little water over the scar on her left shoulder, a little souvenir from the battle with Nu-13. Hakumen told her that Nu was responsible for her own death in his timeline, and Tsu couldn't stand by and let it go unpunished. As she had noted, this wasn't justice, this was _vengeance. _In doing so, whiled she did a decent job if dismantling the Murakumo, she nearly succeeded in getting herself skewered, hence the wounds. Thank God for Sir Hakumen.

_Hakumen..._

"Drink?" Jin entered the room with two glasses and a bottle of wine, derailing her train of thought.

"Oh, thank you." It had been months since Tsu had touched alcohol. And _boy _did she miss it. She took a big mouthful and smiled as the liquid sluiced down her throat. After a moment of consideration, she gestured to the water.

"Jin, care to join me?"

"Hmm? Oh, why not." She shuffled forward to allow Jin room to squeeze in behind. She leaned back against him and rested her head on his shoulder. She reached up mussed his goatee that he had taken to growing in the years since. His hair was shorter than it used to be too. He in turn wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her baby bump a little caress, and kissed the nape of her neck, to which Tsubaki mewled. Even Jin could be a little romantic when the mood took him.

"Something on your mind?"

"Oh, just thinking about how much I missed the occasional drink. After today, I really need one!" Tsu smiled. Jin took the chance to pour himself a glass. He didn't think very much of the taste, but kept that fact to himself. The most important thing was he could finally spend some quality time alone with her.

They just sat there in relative silence, enjoying each other's touch. Enjoying being husband and wife.

* * *

Kudos to all those who have done those Blazblue's MMD's. To those who haven't seen them yet, they're on YouTube. Check them out.

All the above videos and the songs mentioned are the property of their respective owners.


End file.
